


Two A.M. Chats

by storybored



Series: WHUMPTOBER (Tune in for suffering) [2]
Category: Deathstroke the Terminator (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Avoidance issues, Father son chat, Gen, Insomnia, Poor decisions in boyfriends, Poor decisions in genreal, Slade does, Whumptober, You ever want to avoid something so much, bear the dog - Freeform, you talk about other stuff to avoid it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 13:05:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16219637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storybored/pseuds/storybored
Summary: Joseph can't sleep, it's been a hellish week. He's more tired then he's ever been, and nothing would change that. He just wants to watch some mindless television to put himself to sleep and forget about the pain in his ribs and his heart.





	Two A.M. Chats

Joey couldn’t sleep, not for lack of trying on his part but every breath jarred his ribs making it impossible to get comfortable to drift off. All of him hurt, not just his ribs and back but his heart too. Three months ago his fiancee was murdered and he was still no closer to finding out who killed her. Well, that’s a lie, he knew who didn’t do it and the only definite answer was Slade. His father would lie to the pope but when it came to his kids he didn’t lie. That didn’t make him in honest man but it made him more honest then Adeline when it came to most things. Joey watched as the clock counted on. A little past two in the morning. The only other person who’d be awake was Bear who was sleeping with his head Joey’s hip. Bear may have officially been Tanya’s dog but it was no secret that he prefered Slade and Joey over everyone else. Joey sat up, letting out a pained breath whiched caused Bear to snuffle and paw at Joey a little upset that he was awoken. Joey swung his legs out of bed and Bear made a graceful attempt to hop off the bed to follow him but nearly fell on his face. Joey braced an arm against his ribs and whistled lowly for Bear to follow him. He heard the TV playing lowly from the living room and saw his dad sitting there “watching” The Daily Show.

Bear trotted over to SLade and whined, pawing at the couch. Joey sank into the couch trying to shift the weight off of his ribs so it didn’t hurt to breath or lean back. Slade picked up Bear who began to chew on one of the toys that was on the couch. JOey shifted again and coughed before letting out a pained sound causing Slade to look up at him. Joey sighed not returning his father’s gaze,”Sorry.”

“No need.” Slade took a deep breath,”Look about what happened between you and-”

Joey held up his hand,”I’m good if we never talk about that. Ever.”

Slade jerked his head slightly in understanding, he was never good with people. Especially as similar to him as Joseph was. Everyone claimed that Joey was Adeline’s son which was true to an extent, first appearances wise you’d see that Joey seemed to have Adeline’s people skills and her kindness, but when you truly got to know him you saw the temper that Slade had, that his father had. Joe was just a little better at controlling it. The protective streaked that Slade wishes was bigger, if he was faster his son would still be able to sing. The enjoyment of the finer things in life, that was the one thing they truly shared. But most of Joseph’s personality was his own, Slade remember watching him grow up and barely believing that he was his. He was too kind, too sweet. Slade couldn’t help but feel as if it was his fault that Joe was this screwed up, if he told him about Etienne when Slade first found out she was a spy maybe Joe wouldn’t have ended up in rehab. Maybe if Slade didn’t have his head shoved up his own ass, Grant would still be alive. He wouldn’t have run into those Hive kids. 

Slade heard snapping next to his ear, and he jerked his head as he looked toward Joey confused,”What?”

“You zoned.”

“What are you doing up this late?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” Joey rubbed the scars on his wrist,”You?”

“I haven’t gotten a full night’s sleep since, this.” Slade tugged on a strand of silver hair. Slade didn’t know how to go about this without it sounding like a fake mea culpa,”Do you blame me?”

“For?” Joseph already knew where his father was going with this conversation but he wanted confirmation or something. Joe knew his dad wouldn’t be able to verbalize what he wanted to say. Slade didn’t take his eyes off the tv screen but rubbed his hand against his throat,”Oh that. I did at first. I blamed everybody. Grant, for leaving me home again. Mom, for going to look for him. You, for allowing us to be that exposed.”

Slade seemed to nod in understanding before continuing,”Anything you want to ask me?”

Joseph knew that there were few times where his father was willing to be as open as this,”What was your reasoning to let Jackal….”

Slade leaned forward and swiped a hand through his hair,”I thought I was fast enough. And if I told Jackal the information about my client. What would stop someone else from grabbing you or your brother a second time to prod at my weakness.”

Joseph chewed on his bottom lip,”.......I get it. I stopped blaming you a long time ago. Don’t beat yourself up too much.”

Slade rubbed his cheekbone below his eye patch, it constantly throbbed but most days was manageable. He didn’t hate Adeline for shooting him though. He might’ve done the same if he was in her shoes,”What’d you remember about that day?” 

Joey knew what he was really asking, besides an amazing bullshit detector he learned how to read in between the lines growing up. He was really asking if he remembered watching Adeline shoot him,”I remember the relief I felt when you came in with Ma and I heard your voice. I remember being terrified thinking I was going to die. I remember….. remember the feeling of the knife slitting my throat. And I remember watching Ma shoot you. I remember feeling your blood on my face.”

Slade closed his eyes,”I’m sorry that you remembered that. If I could take it on those memories, I would.”

Joey nodded in understanding, it was getting uncomfortable. Awkward even by his family’s high standards,”I know why I couldn’t sleep, what about you?”

Slade knew that this wasn’t the time to avoid his son, it was too late and Slade was far too tired,”Thinking about you and Grant when you two were little. I tell you about the time grant punched me in the knee at the fair?”

Joey looked at him sort of shocked,”What?”

Slade chuckled slightly,”I’m not surprised you don’t remember, you couldn’t been older then two or three. But Addie and Becca decided it’d be a good idea to take you and your cousins to the amusement park. And Grant thought trouble was more fun to get into if you were involved.”

“Sounds like Grant.”

“So we start heading towards the kiddie rides and Grant just grabs your sweater and takes off toward the spook house and so I follow after you trying to bargain with at least one of you.” Joe tried to stifle his laughter but he knew his dad tried to bargain with kids as if they were adults,”oh it gets better. So Grant and you somehow get inside, you two get like half way through before you eventually call it quits. You’d had a bad day and was approaching a wall so I’m surprised it took you that long. And Grant's trying to calm you down and you’re having none of it. So I get there and pick you up so you’ll start calming down and your effing brother hit me in my knee which I injured on tour.” Joey made a choking sound that suddenly shifted into a pained gasp. Slade pauses in his story looking mildly concerned as his son waved for him to continue,”So I grab your brother who is upset by this turn of events so I end up carrying him upside down because it was just easier for all parties involved and so we get outside the haunted house and you haven’t calmed down and your mom is about to blow a fuse so I just flip Grant right side up and go ‘take him,’. Becca didn’t speak to me for a week after that, it was great.”

Joey smiled, if Adeline rarely talked about Grant, Slade never did. If it wasn't for the hole that he knew was there he’d almost think his dad never cared about Grant,” You never talk about him.”

Slade sighed leaning forward his elbows on his knees,”I think your mom forgets I buried my son too.”

“The titans told me that you held him while he died.” 

“He didn’t even know it was me.”

“I don’t think it mattered, when I nearly died you were there and it was a small sense of comfort.”

“But you knew it was me.”

“Not at first. I didn’t remember anything at first. It just helped that I wasn’t alone.”

Slade looked in the opposite direction of his son his posture wire taut. He was silent for a while before he was able to speak with a steady voice again,”You should get to bed. Sleep will help you heal.”

Joey didn’t respond so Slade risked looking back at him sighing when he saw his son asleep his head on his chest and legs resting on the table in front of him. Slade grabbed the throw blanket and tossed it haphazardly over his son,” Get some sleep, you’re gonna need it.”


End file.
